New Earth
by Ben Bova
in the middle of a series
science fiction
copyright 2013
read in January 2014
rated 6 / 10: read to pass the time
If I wanted to sum up this book in one word, it would be "boring".
The story is okay, but slow. The characters are, in general, egotistic, irrational and uninteresting. The driving purpose behind the aliens gives the impression that it is there only to give direction to subsequent books in the series.
Most annoyingly, there is no indication on the various title pages that this book is one of a series.
Yes, it makes sense on its own. But it would -- possibly -- make more sense if read in context. And the "to be continued" ending is blatantly obvious long before it is revealed. And boring.
Then there are the various questions raised by the book...
The bodies are shipped in the deep freeze. Minds travel separately, in computer storage. So why not ship a few spare bodies ? Or a few thousand spare brains ? If this is effectively a one-way trip -- as stated -- why not ship cloned (or otherwise spare) bodies plus *copies* of crew minds ? So the trip can be actual one way with the reassurance that the "original" mind is still safely back on Earth ?!
Okay, that may raise a lot of questions, ethical and practical. The questions would add interest to a rather boring story.
Then there's the occasional snippet of "Mom & Dad" back in the Solar System. They decide to follow daughter Trish to New Earth. But wait ! they've aged at least ninety years before the next ship is due to leave. Mother definitely does not have any age-resisting nanotechnology. Yet she is as sprightly as a young'un. So why is anyone impressed by an alien who looks distinctly decrepit at 300 ?!
Then there's their daughter, Trish... For a while I was seriously worried... A far as I could tell, Trish was not even on board the expedition to New Earth ! Turns out, she had so little to do that I did not notice her. A character who is essential for *series* continuity -- but absolutely irrelevant in this one book.
Then there's the "honest" aliens. Their policy is to speak the absolute truth but the humans have to ask the right questions. Finally, one man asks the right question: "What's the true story behind all this ?"
Good grief.
The most sympathetic characters appear, speak and are crisped, all within one chapter. And the most memorable line is, possibly, a typo...
A spaceship floats "incredulously" in space.
A bit like the whale in Hitchhikers Guide. "What am I ? What am I doing here ? I'm in space ! I'm floating in space ! That's absolutely incredible ! I don't believe it !!"
Because that's what incredulous means: expressing disbelief.
Perhaps it was a typo. But the incredulous spaceship will stick in my mind. A lot longer that the rest of the boring characters in this book.
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